Probably not a good idea to do nothing. Since you've cared enough to feed her, hopefully you'll take at least one more step to help her along on her journey. If you allow her and her family to remain outdoors while you continue feeding them, you will encourage more litters of kittens in as little as 6 months! Only this time she and her offspring will all be procreating, and you will be encouraging stray, intact male cats to your property. The very least you can do to make your life easier is to gather them up in a box or cat carrier and take them to a shelter.

This is most often what people do when they find themselves with a little family on their hands. Shelters have dramatically changed in the past 10 years. They have gone from being last chance temporary housing for cats and dogs to state of the art animal sanctuaries and safe havens. Caring shelter workers and volunteers put in endless hours to ensure that each cat and dog gets the veterinary attention, training, and nutrition they need. Those caring individuals without a shelter have banded together to create rescue organizations. They foster the animals in their own homes and post pictures on organization websites, attend adoption events, and work through word-of-mouth to get their rescued animals into permanent homes.

Unfortunately there are only four walls to every shelter or foster home. Especially during the spring and early summer months when the kitten population is exploding, you may be met with "no vacancy" from almost every shelter or rescue you try. At this point, you might become a bona fide rescuer yourself! (See option 3)

Fostering kittens does not take up as much time as you think it might, and the experience can be very rewarding.  Often if you get in touch with the right rescue group, they might be very willing to set you up with necessary supplies such as a dog crate, kitten food, litter boxes, etc.. to get you started. If mom cat has newborns, there is very little you have to do other than make sure she is fed and her litter is clean. Make sure you are feeding her kitten food, as she will pass the nutrients through her milk to the babies. Your best choice for inexpensive kitten food would be Purina Kitten Chow. You can buy a bag of it at the grocery store for less than 10 dollars. There are other premium kitten foods available such as Science Diet Kitten and Purina Pro Plan Kitten. These are usually available only at pet stores and will most likely cost between 15 and 20 dollars for a bag.

It is also a good idea to have the mother cat tested for Feline Leukemia and FIV before adopting out the kittens. Bringing the kitty to RASCAL will cost a total of 35.00: 25.00 for the test and 10.00 for a check-up. Other vets charge different prices, and it might be a good idea to call first to find out what they charge. (When should the kittens go to the vet?)

When the kittens are around 5-6 weeks old, they will come tumbling out of the nest. At this point, you might to think about finding them homes, as they can be weaned at 6 weeks. You can ask around at work, at the gym, your neighbors, or even put up a sign if necessary. A popular way to find homes for kittens is to place an ad in the newspaper. This can be O.K., as people often look in the newspaper to find pets. There are two crucial elements to adopting your kittens through the newspaper, or to individuals you do not already know.

1. Charge an adoption fee. A standard 50.00 can help cut down on unscrupulous individuals who look for free kittens for snake food or dog-fight bait. The adoption fee will also help defray the costs of the vet care, food, and supply bills you might have incurred during their stay in your home.

2. Screen your adopters. Again, looking for shady individuals who might be looking for a kitten for the wrong reasons. If it doesn't seem like the right home it probably isn't.

The most important thing you can do when re-homing your cat family is to have them spayed or neutered prior to leaving your care. First, separate your mom cat from her babies when they are 6 weeks old. Try to put them in different rooms or in separate crates. Feed the babies canned kitten food and make sure they are eating. In 2 weeks, the kittens and their mother should be ready to be fixed! RASCAL practices pediatric spay/neuter, routinely fixing kittens at a healthy 8 weeks old. If you are planning on using a veterinarian other than RASCAL to spay or neuter your kittens, call to make sure they perform pediatric spay and neuter.

Preventing them from being part of the cycle of homeless animals is the final act of kindness you can show for your foster mom and kittens before they head into their new homes. A 50.00 adoption fee will cover the cost of a cat spay or neuter through RASCAL. People to whom you adopt will be very grateful to know that the kittens have received some veterinary care and that they won't have a 300-400 dollar bill for the cost of the spay/neuter surgery through their vet.

If you have a family of kitties and are looking for advice or assistance, please e-mail questions@rascalunit.com and we will try to provide you with the right resources. Please note that we are a veterinary facility and do not rescue homeless animals.